Standing proudly beside my 100th roll of film. Avoid leaky film tanks and broken darkroom tongs But if you do have to take them off, don’t reuse them, as they’re likely to tear upon re-use. I can use a pair of nitrile gloves for an entire film developing session without issue. They’re durable, they don’t get too hot, and they provide the best grip in the business. I’ve found these let the fewest liquids through. These are the same blue or white ones that doctors and dentists use when they’re checking patients. My all time favourite gloves for film and print developing are Nitrile gloves. Even if they’re the right size, I often go through 2 or 3 pairs while developing a single roll of film. Latex gloves are too thin and rip at the slightest touch. The only benefit dishwashing gloves have is that they can be removed easily whem switching tasks. They’re also loose, and remove much of your tactility in the darkroom. I spent time as a dishwasher back in the day, and I never ended a shift without getting water inside the gloves. Reusable dish gloves are also not recommended. I’ve used them before, and it always feels like there’s more liquid in the gloves than in the dev tank. These tear at the sight of a dull edge, get caught in everything, and are hotter than other kinds of gloves. Over time, I’ve found that some gloves are better than others.Ībsolutely stay away from flimsy, plastic disposable gloves. So they’ve become a necessary evil in my workflow. But without them, I run the risk of developing terrible patches of eczema. I lose tactile senses, liquids end up inside, and they get sweaty real fast. Me, pouring colour developer back into the bottle without gloves. What kind of gloves are recommended for people with eczema? Just like Technical Data Sheets, every single film chemical will have its own MSDS, which will contain all of the relevant health information and chemical compounds present. If you get fixer or developer on your skin, it’s important to wash it off as quickly as possible with soap and water. The neutral formula also has the benefit of not needing a rinse after the acid stop bath, reducing water consumption during the developing process. The legacy pro fixer is odourless, and has a longer shelf-life than standard rapid-fixers. Their fixer doesn’t use any hydroquinone, borates, or metol in the working solution, and still produces archival-quality film and prints. Legacy Pro also makes an eco-friendly fixer that is a good solution for people with eczema. But even these chemicals need to be handled with care for people with eczema. This means the best option for film is Kodak D-76, and Legacy Pro Eco B&W Paper developer. The best developers for eczema will omit hydroquinone from their formulas, as it’s one of the chemicals that takes the biggest toll on skin for eczema sufferers. The developer and fixers are very harsh on skin for eczema sufferers. What is the best film developer for people with eczema? Photo taken with the Harman Reusable camera. My minimalist setup for developing colour film. These are cheap and exceptionally effective at reducing the number of chemical spills that make it through to your skin. If you don’t have a lab coat, I would highly recommend purchasing one. They protect your arms and your clothing from spills, which can stain, and they look pretty damn cool doing it. If you have eczema, it’s important to have a lab coat to reduce the number of darkroom chemicals splashing onto your clothes. It found that there was an 80% chance those who refused gloves had developed a skin disease relating to the development process! The study also asked how many of them wore gloves in the darkroom. A study of darkroom printers in Tehran found that 37% had some skin issues, like leukodermas, eczema, lichen-planus, or lichen-planus-like eruptions that developed from contact with darkroom chemicals. But I’ve learned a number of ways over the years to reduce those chances.Įven if you don’t have eczema, chemicals in the darkroom can cause eczema-like skin reactions. Even with gloves, my hands still come out dry and smelling like fixer, and sometimes have eczema breakouts. Anyone who has eczema, before ever entering the darkroom, knows it’s not quite that simple. Most people will tell you ‘just wear gloves and you’ll be fine.’ And they’re right - at least partially. These chemicals are harsh, but with a couple of tips, it’s fairly easy to develop film without getting the eczema-inducing chemicals on your skin. I have chronic eczema, and I’ve been developing film for a couple of years now.
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